Marrakesh: Where East meets West

“Oh, East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet, Till Earth and Sky stand presently at God’s great Judgment Seat” – Rudyard Kipling, The Ballad of East and West

Bahia Palace

East and West combine in Marrakesh, but the West seems to have the upper hand. Marrakesh is a place where Europeans (and Westerners in general) can feel like they are escaping the West without giving up any of the comforts or conveniences of Western life.  

It’s an awesome place. Day and night, the main square, D’Jeema el Fna, pulsates with life: drums beat, dancers dance, tourists goggle, venders haggle, and a confused multitude of cultures collide. Sometimes it’s good; sometimes, not.

At rival music stands, Western pop music battles it out with more traditional Moroccan music. Local musicians, of more or less talent, throng the square, contributing gainfully to the noise and confusion of the place.



Saadian Tomb

You can get your picture taken with either monkeys or snakes; watch traditional dancers; buy colorful slippers, bright candle lamps, diverse leather products; feast on tagines, snails, fresh orange juice, egg sandwiches; or you can just sit back and watch the world go by.

El Badi Palace

As in most places in Morocco, hashish seems to abound. Men or boys will approach and sound out your interest in the drug. Sometimes they will follow you around, desperately trying to make a sale.
 
Touts, though not as bad as in Fes, will try to interest you in things you’ve made abundantly clear that you have no interest in.

Bahia Palace

But for all that, it’s still Western: the big hotels, set menus, prices, etc., make it a comfortable for Westerners to vacation.

Bahia Palace

Admittedly, I liked it. At least most of it. One dancing old man with a cowbell-type instrument got right up in my face, clanging away at his bell; then he wanted money. I thought I was the one who should have been asking for money…

It was cheap, at least in European terms. It was picturesque. It was different—the architecture, the food, the people. It was alive.  And it was fun.

I’m sure there is more to be said—about the jostling crowds, the donkeys, the noise, the smells (good and bad), the people—but at present, I don’t have the heart to say it. I’d rather just go back.